An article that I read the other day listed ways of showing respect and appreciation to our veterans besides simply saying, “Thank you for your service.” These suggestions included caring for their graves.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, while visiting graves in St. Jerome Cemetery, a guy walked into the cemetery with a big, black unleashed dog.

Rules posted by the gate include “No pets allowed.” No exceptions are listed.

Every day, by his own admission, he ignores this rule, thinking it’s OK to do so because he carries bags. Meanwhile, his dog runs freely across graves.

He ignored comments about the disrespect this shows for those buried there. He just kept walking and smiling. All the while his dog ran across graves, urinating on some, so the bags he claimed to carry don’t matter.

He also played fetch with the dog, tossing a stick into a section of the cemetery.

There are plenty of woods outside the cemetery fence. This is true of most cemeteries in our region.

So before anyone else ignores rules concerning walking dogs in a cemetery, please think of the disrespect this shows for those buried there, including hundreds of veterans in each of our local cemeteries.

Also consider the terrible example this sets for others, especially children.

When saying, “Thank you for your service,” think of the meaning behind these words.

JoAnn Paslawsky

Tamaqua